Our Experts

Sebastian Del Monte | Trainee

I joined Hodge Jones & Allen LLP in December 2014 as a new client advisor dealing predominantly with enquiries for the Civil Liberties team. In December 2015 I started my role as a paralegal supporting solicitors on a variety of cases including: actions against the police; deaths in custody claims & inquests; and claims against the Ministry of Defence. I started my period of recognised training at Hodge Jones & Allen LLP in September 2016 and am currently a trainee in the Criminal Defence Team supervised by Raj Chada and John Hartley.

Prior to joining Hodge Jones & Allen LLP I worked as a paralegal in one of the criminal law teams at GT Stewart Solicitors and as a new client caseworker for Fisher Meredith LLP. I also volunteered for various charities including the Howard League for Penal Reform’s legal team and Southwark Citizens Advice Bureau.

Education

MA in Criminology & Criminal Justice, King’s College London (Distinction)

Legal Practice Course, BPP Law School (Commendation)

Maîtrise Universitaire en Droit, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne

English Law and French Law LLB (Hons), King’s College London

Career

Trainee Solicitor at Hodge Jones & Allen LLP, Sep 2016 – Present

Paralegal at Hodge Jones & Allen LLP, Dec 2015 – August 2016

New Client Advisor at Hodge Jones & Allen LLP, Dec 2014 – Dec 2015

New Client Caseworker at Fisher Meredith LLP, Apr 2014 – Dec 2015

Crown Court Paralegal at GT Stewart Solicitors, Sep 2013 – Feb 2014

Notable Cases

R (on the application of Association Of British Insurers) v Lord Chancellor [2017] EWHC 106 (Admin): Assisted as a trainee on the judicial review claim which led to the Lord Chancellor’s re-setting of the discount rate for personal injury claims. Subsequently assisted APIL, then acting as an interested party, in resistance to the subsequent and unsuccessful challenge to that decision brought by the Association of British Insurers.

Personal Interests

Outside of work I am a keen amateur basketball player competing in the London Metropolitan League. I am a qualified basketball referee and have officiated in national leagues and competitions. I otherwise enjoy long-distance running, reading and cooking.

Posts by Sebastian Del Monte

It’s not all about Brexit – The UK Government’s record on homelessness over the last 7 yearsDespite arguments to the contrary, the general election scheduled to take place on 8th June 2017 is not, and cannot be framed as, a single issue election. If the government wanted to make this a debate about Europe, they could have called another referendum?

On 16th March 2017, the government consultation to reform the Housing Possession Court Duty Schemes came to a close.1. The schemeThe scheme allows tenants facing eviction to receive free advice and representation on the day of their possession hearing. Solicitors, in exchange, get £84 per case and the chance of building a professional relationship which will occasionally generate more work and business for the firm, albeit almost always on legal aid rates.

‘A plea to all the lawyers – those coming up and those already there. You have got to accept that bandying about access to justice, it’s really quite fraudulent. To govern is to choose. Is £1.6bn access to justice? Or is it £2.4bn? Lawyers forget where the money is coming from, it’s the taxpayer’s. So which department are you going to take the money from? … Seeing lawyers outside the Ministry of Justice looking like 1970s trade [unionists] does not help the status of the profession or find a solution.’ Lord Justice McNally (September 2016)